HAIR OF THE DOG

For all the parents who will be holding their heads in their hands on New Years Day, my husband Adam has the cure....

People have all kinds of ideas about Bloody Marys. Recipes haggle over what kind of this to add to how much of that, but for me, a good drink begins with construction.  It's the process that creates the product.  With that in mind, here are the steps to create a damn fine Bloody Mary:

Begin with a glass.  I recommend a pint.  Why fool around?

Salt the rim.  We used a blend of smoked sea salt, lemon zest, and black pepper.

Ice the glass, most of the way to the top. Drop a teaspoon of horseradish over the ice.

Pour 2.5oz of cold, cold vodka over the horseradish, as if to wash it off the ice.  Then add 4 or 5 dashes of worcestershire sauce to the glass.  Stir carefully to infuse the horseradish and worcestershire into the vodka, but not to disrupt the rim.

Add your mix.  Go fancy if you want, but you don't really need much more than a good Trader Joe's garden patch.  Too many ingredients can muddle the flavor.  Fill to near the top of your glass, about 6oz.

Hot sauce time.  This is where you must follow your passion, from Frank's or Tabasco, to the crazy stuff your cousin's uncle brought back from his time in the Merchant Marines. I used Trader Joe's Chili Pepper Sauce.  Good flavor without all the bravado.  Three dashes, for me.

Stir again, mind the rim.

Now you garnish.  Squeeze of lime, drop in two olives, dust with white pepper, a finishing salt, your celery and a straw.

Cheers, 

Adam